Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and storage medium

ABSTRACT

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a technique for creating color conversion parameters for performing highly accurate conversion. One embodiment of the present invention is an information processing apparatus including: an acquisition unit configured to acquire information relating to a geometrical condition in a case where a color chart irradiated with light is captured; and a determination unit configured to determine a position at which each of a plurality of color patches is laid out in the color chart based on the geometrical condition.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates to a color conversion technique.

Description of the Related Art

In an industrial product manufacturing factory, a color inspection isperformed for checking that the manufactured products are pained in thesame color. As one of color inspection methods, there is a method thatuses the data of the image of the product, which is captured by an imagecapturing apparatus. For example, by calculating a difference in colorbetween the captured image of a product, which is used as a reference,and the captured image of an inspection-target product, whether or notthe color is different is determined.

At this time, there is a case where a difference arises in color orbrightness of the image data depending on a difference in the imagecapturing environment, a difference in the characteristic between imagecapturing apparatuses, and the like. It is difficult to perform thecolor inspection in the state where the difference such as this hasoccurred, and therefore, it is necessary to convert the image data intoimage data in a color space, for example, such as the L*a*b* space,which is independent of the difference.

As one of conversion methods into image data in the L*a*b* space, thereis one as follows. First, by an image capturing apparatus, a color chartis captured and RGB values of the color chart are acquired and further,by measuring the color chart with a dedicated measuring device and XYZvalues of the color chart are acquired. Then, by performing processingfor the RGB values and the XYZ values, which are acquired, by using adedicated program, color conversion parameters indicating acorrespondence relationship between the RGB space and the XYZ space arecreated. By using the color conversion parameters, the image data in theRGB space is converted into image data in the XYZ space. After that, theimage data is converted into image data in the L*a*b* space.

At the time of creation of the color conversion parameters, in a casewhere a color patch whose color is near to the color of the colorinspection-target product is included in the color chart, the colorconversion accuracy will be higher. Because of this, even in a casewhere a material having angle dependence is included in the colorinspection-target product, it is desirable for a color patch whose coloris near to the color of the material to be included in the color chart.

However, in a case where a color patch having angle dependence isincluded in the color chart, the influence of specular reflectionbecomes great. International Laid Open No. 2005/074302 has disclosed acolor chart in which a plurality of color patches having angledependence of the same color is laid out as a technique for lesseningthe influence of specular reflection. The possibility becomes strongthat a color patch having angle dependence in which specular reflectionhas not occurred exists in the color chart such as this, and therefore,it is possible to lessen the influence of specular reflection by, forexample, averaging the RGB values of a plurality of color patches havingangle dependence.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

However, in the color chart disclosed in International Laid Open No.2005/074302, at the time of laying out a color patch having angledependence within the color chart, there is a case where illuminationlight enters the captured image depending on the position and in thecase such as that, it is not possible to create highly accurate colorconversion parameters.

Consequently, in view of the above-described problem, an object of oneembodiment of the present invention is to provide a technique forcreating color conversion parameters for performing highly accurateconversion in a case where a color patch having angle dependence isused.

One embodiment of the present invention is an information processingapparatus including: an acquisition unit configured to acquireinformation relating to a geometrical condition in a case where a colorchart irradiated with light is captured; and a determination unitconfigured to determine a position at which each of a plurality of colorpatches is laid out in the color chart based on the geometricalcondition.

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from thefollowing description of exemplary embodiments with reference to theattached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a color conversionparameter creation system;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of aninformation processing apparatus;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a function configuration of theinformation processing apparatus:

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a geometrical condition at the time ofcapturing a color chart;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a geometrical condition at the time ofcapturing a color chart;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a GUI;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a color patch table;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing processing of the information processingapparatus;

FIG. 9 is a state transition diagram in a case where the GUI in FIG. 6is used;

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a configuration of a printing apparatus;

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a GUI:

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a color patch table:

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing processing of the information processingapparatus;

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing determination processing of the number oflayouts of the color patch:

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing layout processing of a color patch X:

FIG. 16 is a state transition diagram in a case where the GUI in FIG. 11is used; and

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing processing of the information processingapparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

In the following, embodiments of the present invention are explainedwith reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are notnecessarily intended to limit the present invention. Further, allcombinations of features explained in the present embodiments are notnecessarily indispensable to the solution of the present invention.

First Embodiment <Configuration of Color Conversion Parameter CreationSystem>

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a color conversionparameter creation system. The color conversion parameter creationsystem has an information processing apparatus 1, an informationprocessing apparatus 2, a display device 3, a printing apparatus 4, animage capturing apparatus 5, a color chart 6, an illumination 7, ameasuring device 8, and an input device 110. In this color conversionparameter creation system, the input of a user is received via the inputdevice 110 and contents based on the input are displayed on the displaydevice 3.

Further, in the color conversion parameter creation system, the colorchart 6 is created by causing the printing apparatus 4 to performprinting processing base on data of the color chart created by theinformation processing apparatus 1. In the state where the color chart 6is irradiated by the illumination 7, image capturing is performed by theimage capturing apparatus 5. It is desirable for the geometricalcondition at this time and the characteristics of the image capturingapparatus 5 and the illumination 7 to be near to those used for thecolor inspection. In the geometrical condition at the time of imagecapturing by the image capturing apparatus 5, the relative positionalrelationship between the image capturing apparatus 5, the color chart 6,and the illumination 7, the orientation of each of the image capturingapparatus 5, the color chart 6, and the illumination 7, and the like areincluded.

Further, in the color conversion parameter creation system, the colorchart 6 is measured with the measuring device 8. FIG. 1 shows an aspectin which the image capturing apparatus 5 and the measuring device 8 arearranged side by side, but it is desirable for the geometrical conditionat the time of image capturing and the image capturing condition at thetime of measurement to be equal. Because of this, in a case where themeasuring device 8 is used, it is desirable to exchange the position ofthe measuring device 8 with the position of the image capturingapparatus 5.

<Hardware Configuration of Information Processing Apparatus>

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of theinformation processing apparatus 1. The information processing apparatus1 has a CPU 101, a ROM 102, and a RAM 103. Further, the informationprocessing apparatus 1 has a VC (Video Card) 104, a general-purpose I/F(interface) 105, a SATA (serial ATA) I/F 106, and an NIC (NetworkInterface Card) 107.

The CPU 101 executes the OS (Operating System) and various programsstored in the ROM 102, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 112 and the like byusing the RAM 103 as a work memory. Further, the CPU 101 controls eachcomponent via a system bus 108. The processing in the flowchart, to bedescribed later, is performed by program codes stored in the ROM 102,the HDD 112 and the like being developed onto the RAM 103 and by the CPU101 executing the developed program codes.

To the VC 104, the display device 3 is connected. To the general purposeI/F 105, the input device 110, such as a mouse and a keyboard, and theimage capturing apparatus 5 are connected via a serial bus 109. To theSATA I/F 106, the HDD 112 and a general-purpose drive 113 that performsreading and writing from and to various storage media are connected viaa serial bus 111. The NIC 107 performs input and output of informationwith an external device. The CPU 101 uses the HDD 112 and the variousstorage media mounted on the general-purpose drive 113 as a storagelocation of various kinds of data. The CPU 101 displays a GUI (GraphicalUser Interface) provided by a program on the display device 3 andreceives an input, such as user instructions, which can be received viathe input device 110.

The information processing apparatus 2 also has the same configurationas that of the information processing apparatus 1. The informationprocessing apparatus 1 and the information processing apparatus 2 do notnecessarily have to be different hardware and they may share the samehardware.

<Function Configuration of Information Processing Apparatus>

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the function configuration of theinformation processing apparatus 1. The CPU 101 implements each functionmodule shown in FIG. 3 by reading and executing programs stored in theROM 102 or the HDD 112 using the RAM 103 as a work memory. All theprocessing shown in the following does not need to be performed by theCPU 101 and the information processing apparatus 1 may be configured sothat part or all of the processing is performed by one or a plurality ofprocessing circuits other than the CPU 101.

As shown in FIG. 3, the information processing apparatus 1 has anacquisition unit 11, a display control unit 12, an estimation unit 13, adetermination unit 14, and a printing control unit 15. Further, theinformation processing apparatus 2 has an image capturing control unit16, a measurement control unit 17, and a color conversion parametercreation unit 18.

The acquisition unit 11 is an acquisition unit for acquiring informationrelating to a geometrical condition at the time of capturing a colorchart. In the present embodiment, in order to acquire the reflectedlight characteristic on the surface of the color chart 6, theacquisition unit 11 is used. FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 each show an example ofthe geometrical condition at the time of capturing the color chart.

FIG. 4 shows a positional relationship between the light source 7 andthe color chart 6 in a three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate systemwith the set position of the image capturing apparatus 5 being taken asthe origin. The coordinates of the light source 7 are taken to be (x0,y0, z0). As shown in FIG. 4, the color chart 6 consists of 12 (=three inthe vertical direction×four in the horizontal direction) color patches.Each of the 12 color patches is a square and the center point of eachcolor patch is taken to be a1, a2, . . . , a12. Further, the coordinatesof the center point of each color patch (called center coordinates ofcolor patch) are taken to be (x1, y1, z1), (x2, y2, z2), . . . , (x12,y12, z12).

FIG. 5 shows the geometrical condition at the time of capturing thecolor chart in a spherical coordinate system. Here, it is assumed thatthe camera 5 and the color chart 6 squarely face each other. Further,FIG. 5 shows the geometrical condition for the center point ai of theith color patch. As shown in FIG. 5, an angle formed by an axis xlocated on the same plane as that of the color chart 6 and a vectorobtained by orthogonally projecting a vector from the center point ai tothe light source 7 onto the same plane is taken to be φi and an angleformed by an axis whose starting point is the center point ai and whichpasses through the image capturing apparatus 5 and the vector from thecenter point ai to the light source 7 is taken to be θi.

The display control unit 12 displays a GUI on, for example, the displaydevice 3 and receives user instructions that are input via the inputdevice 110. In the present embodiment, as an example, a GUI 600 shown inFIG. 6 is used. As shown in FIG. 6, the GUI 600 has text boxes indicatedby symbols 601, 602, 603, and 605 and buttons indicated by symbols 604and 606.

A user inputs the number of vertically laid-out frames of the colorchart to the text box 601, which is a setting unit of the number oflayouts of the color patch. Similarly, the user inputs the number ofhorizontally laid-out frames of the color chart to the text box 602,which is a setting unit of the number of layouts of the color patch.Further, the user inputs the path to a file in a color patch table inwhich color patch information is described to the text box 603, which isa file path input unit. In this path input, it may also be possible torefer to the path by using software, such as a file explorer. In thecase such as that, the user presses down the Reference button 604 andactivates a file explorer. The color patch table is, for example, atable as shown in FIG. 7 and saved in the file format, such as csv. Inthe table in FIG. 7, in the first column, the value of the color patchID corresponding to the kind of color patch is stored. In the secondcolumn, RGB values in a captured image are stored. In the third column,information relating to the reflected light characteristic of the colorpatch is stored. Here, as the information relating to the reflectedlight characteristic, an angle in the vicinity of specular reflection isadopted. The reflected light of the light having entered the color patchis the sum of the diffuse reflection component having substantially thesame reflection intensity in a variety of directions and the specularreflection component having a high reflection intensity in the vicinityof the specular reflection angle being taken as a center. It is possibleto calculate the reflected light characteristic such as this by using abidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) and the like. Forexample, this specular reflection component is measured in advance foreach color patch and the angle at which the intensity is higher than orequal to a threshold value is taken to be the angle in the vicinity ofspecular reflection and described in the color patch table. In thefourth column, a combination (referred to as CMYK values) of each valueof cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, which corresponds to the inkamounts at the time of performing printing with the printing apparatus4, is stored. In a case where a specific ink, such as a metal ink, isused in the printing apparatus 4, the value thereof is also stored. Acolor chart is created by the information processing apparatus 1 and theinformation processing apparatus 2 performing the following processingbased on the user input via the GUI 600.

<Explanation of Color Patch Having Angle Dependence>

Explanation of a color patch having angle dependence in the presentembodiment is described. The angle dependence is a ratio of theintensity in the specular reflection direction to the intensity in thediffuse reflection direction of a color patch. The color patch havingangle dependency refers to a color patch whose angle dependence isrelatively great. As the color patch having angle dependence, mention ismade of, for example, a color patch in a metallic color.

<Processing Performed by Information Processing Apparatus>

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by theinformation processing apparatus 1 and the information processingapparatus 2. In the following, each step (process) is represented byattaching S to the top of the numerical value.

At S801, the acquisition unit 11 acquires the geometrical condition atthe time of capturing the color chart. The geometrical condition that isacquired at this step includes information on the coordinates (x0, y0,z0) of the light source 7 and information on the coordinates (x1, y1,z1), (x2, y2, z2), . . . , (x12, y12, z12) of the center points a1, a2,. . . , a12 of the color patches. As the acquisition method of theinformation, for example, there is a method in which values measured byusing a measuring device, such as a measure, are stored in advance inthe ROM 102 and the like and the acquisition unit 11 acquires the storedvalue.

At S802, the display control unit 12 receives a user input relating tothe setting of a color chart. Here, the state transition in a case wherethe display control unit 12 uses the GUI shown in FIG. 6 is explainedwith reference to FIG. 9.

In FIG. 9, each of symbols 901 to 904 indicates one state and each ofthe symbols 601 to 606 indicates an input by the operation element shownin FIG. 6. First, in “During input reception” 901, an input by a user isreceived. The user inputs the number of vertically laid-out frames ofthe color chart to the text box 601 and inputs the number ofhorizontally laid-out frames to the text box 602. For example, in a casewhere 12 color patches are laid out, the user inputs “3” to the text box601 and inputs “4” to the text box 602. Further, the user inputs thepath of the color patch table file stored in advance in the HDD 112 andthe like to the text box 603. Furthermore, the user inputs the number ofcolor patches having angle dependence to the text box 605. In a casewhere the display control unit 12 receives the inputs via these textboxes, as shown in FIG. 9, the transition is self-transition from“During input reception” 901 to “During input reception” 901. In a caseof inputting the path, it may also be possible for the user to transmitto “During reference” 902 by pressing down the Reference button 604 andrefer to one or a plurality of paths. Further, in a case where the userpresses the Create chart button 606, the state transitions from “Duringinput reception” 901 to “Input check” 903.

In “During reference” 902, for example, a file explorer is activated anda path is referred to. In a case where the user selects one path andcompletes reference, the state transitions from “During reference” 902to “During input reception” 901 and the selected path is automaticallyinput to the text box 603.

In “Input check” 903, whether the user input is performed correctly,specifically, whether there is a flaw in the input information ischecked, whether a file exists at the designation destination of thepath that is input to the text box 603 is checked, and so on. Then, in acase where the user input is not performed correctly, the statetransitions from “Input check” 903 to “Error output” 904. On the otherhand, in a case where the user input is performed correctly, theprocessing at S803 (see FIG. 8) is performed.

In “Error output” 904, error contents, for example, the contents of theitem that is input by a user and which is not correct are displayed in apop-up manner or the like. After displaying the error contents, thestate returns to “During input reception” 901 and the state where thedisplay control unit 12 receives the input by a user again is broughtabout. The information that is input by a user is stored in the ROM 102,the HDD 112 or the like and after this, read and used as needed.

At S803, the estimation unit 13 creates a reflected light intensityranking indicating the ranking of each frame in which the color patch islaid out within the color chart. It is possible to express the reflectedlight intensity by the direct light of the light source 7 by formula (1)in a case where the coordinate information on the light source 7acquired at S801 and the coordinate information on the center point ofeach frame within the chart are used and the intensity of the directlight of the light source 7 is taken to be V.

[Mathematical formula 1]

reflected light intensity=V cos θ_(i) (i=1,2, . . . ,12)  formula (1)

Here, cos θ_(i) is found by formula (2).

     [Mathematical  formula  2] $\begin{matrix}{{\cos\;\theta_{i}} = {\frac{{x_{0}x_{i}} + {y_{0}y_{i}} + {z_{0}z_{i}}}{\sqrt{x_{0}^{2} + y_{0}^{2} + z_{0}^{2}}\sqrt{x_{i}^{2} + y_{i}^{2} + z_{i}^{2}}}\left( {{i = 1},2,\ldots\;,12} \right)}} & {{formula}\mspace{14mu}(2)}\end{matrix}$

In a case where it is assumed that the intensity of the direct light isthe same at each point irrespective of the position of the point, theranking of the reflected light intensity is the same as the ranking ofthe magnitude of cos θ_(i) that is calculated by formula (2). It mayalso be possible to acquire the ranking of the reflected light intensityby performing measurement. For example, it may also be possible tocreate the ranking of the reflected light intensity by placing a mirroras an object that causes total reflection approximately at the positionof the color chart and observing the mirror from the position of theimage capturing apparatus 5 and visually checking the reflected lightintensity. Further, it may also be possible to create the ranking of thereflected light intensity by actually capturing the mirror with theimage capturing apparatus 5 and based on the image data acquired by theimage capturing.

At S804, the determination unit 14 selects one kind of color patch fromthe color patch table. As will be described later, the selectionprocessing at this step is performed repeatedly and at the time of thisrepetitive selection of the color patch, the color patch is selected inorder from the color patch whose angle in the vicinity of specularreflection is the widest. This selected color patch is taken to be acolor patch X.

At S805, the determination unit 14 lays out the color patch X. By usingthe reflected light intensity ranking that is found at S803, thedetermination unit 14 lays out the color patch X selected at immediatelyprevious S804 in the frame whose reflected light intensity is the lowestamong the frames in which the color patch is not laid out yet.

At S806, the determination unit 14 determines whether the laying out atS805 is completed for all the kinds of color patch whose information isstored in the color patch table. In a case where the determinationresults at this step are affirmative, the processing advances to stepS807. On the other hand, in a case where the determination results atthis step are negative, the processing returns to S804. In a case wherethe laying out of the color patches corresponding to the number of colorpatches having angle dependence, which is input via the text box 605, iscompleted, it may also be possible to advance the processing to S807 byappropriately laying out the remaining color patches. In this case, itmay also be possible to randomly lay out the color patches other thanthe color patches having angle dependence, or lay out them by takinginto consideration the nearness of color.

After S806, it may also be possible for the determination unit 14 toselect an already-existing color chart near to the color chartdetermined by the processing at S804 to S806. For example, the colorchart whose degree of nearness is the highest is selected from thealready-existing Macbeth color charts or the color charts createdpreviously. As regards the nearness that is used at the time of thisselection, for example, the number of counts indicating the number ofcolor charts created from the same color material is calculated and itis determined that the larger the number of counts, the higher thedegree of nearness is. Alternatively, it may also be possible todetermine that the larger the number of counts of the color charts whoseangle in the vicinity of specular reflection described in the colorchart table is the same, the higher the degree of neamess is. Further,alternatively, it may also be possible to determine that the nearer thenumber of color patches having angle dependency, the higher the degreeof nearness is.

At S807, the printing control unit 15 creates a color chart by using theprinting apparatus 4. In the creation of a color chart, first, data ofthe color chart is generated. For example, based on the layout of thecolor patches determined by the processing up to S806, the image data isgenerated in which the pixel values corresponding to each color patchare the CMYK values read from the color patch table. Then, the printingcontrol unit 15 causes the printing apparatus 4 to perform printingbased on the image data of the color chart. Here, the configuration ofthe printing apparatus 4 is explained by using FIG. 10.

A head cartridge 1001 has a print head including a plurality of ejectionports and an ink tank that supplies ink to the print head and the headcartridge 1001 is provided with a connector for receiving a signal thatdrives each ejection port of the print head, and the like. It ispossible for the ink tank to mount ink of each color of CMYK and metalink. The head cartridge 1001 is mounted exchangeably on a carriage 1002by being positioned and the carriage 1002 is provided with a connectorholder for transmitting a drive signal and the like to the headcartridge 1001 via the connector.

The carriage 1002 is capable of reciprocating along a guide shaft 1003.Specifically, the carriage 1002 is driven by using a main scanning motor1004 as a drive source via drive mechanisms, such as a motor pulley1005, a follower pulley 1006, and a timing belt 1007 and at the sametime, the position and movement of the carriage 1002 are controlled. Themovement along the guide shaft 1003 of the carriage 1002 is called “mainscanning” and the movement direction of the carriage 1002 is called“main scanning direction”.

A printing medium 1008 for printing is placed in an auto sheet feeder(in the following, “ASF”) 1010. At the time of printing, a pickup roller1012 rotates by the drive of a sheet feed motor 1011 via a gear and theprinting medium 1008 is separated one by one from the ASF 1010 and fed.Further, the printing medium 1008 is conveyed to a printing startposition facing the ejection port surface of the head cartridge 1001 onthe carriage 1002 by the rotation of a conveyance roller 1009. Theconveyance roller 1009 is driven via a gear by using a line feed (LF)motor 1013 as a drive source. The determination of whether or not theprinting medium 1008 is fed and the settlement of the position at thetime of feed are performed at the point in time at which the printingmedium 1008 passes a paper end sensor 1014. The head cartridge 1001mounted on the carriage 1002 is retained so that the ejection portsurface protrudes downward from the carriage 1002 and is parallel to theprinting medium 1008. A control unit 1020 controls the operation of eachpart of the printing apparatus 4. In order to simplify explanation,explanation is given on the assumption that the printing apparatus 4 inthe present embodiment is a binary printer that performs control ofwhether or not to eject ink at a predetermined resolution. Further, itmay also be possible for the printing apparatus 4 to adopt a method ofcapable of changing the size of an ink droplet to be ejected.

In the following, the image formation operation is explained. First, ina case where the printing medium 1008 is conveyed to a predeterminedprinting start position, the carriage 1002 moves on the printing medium1008 along the guide shaft 1003 and during the movement, ink is ejectedfrom the ejection port of the print head. In a case where the carriage1002 moves up to one end of the guide shaft 1003, the conveyance roller1009 conveys the printing medium 1008 by a predetermined amount in thedirection perpendicular to the scanning direction of the carriage 1002.This conveyance of the printing sheet 1008 is called “sheet feed” or“sub scanning” and the conveyance direction of the printing medium 1008is called “sheet feed direction” or “sub scanning direction”. In a casewhere the conveyance of the printing medium 1008 by a predeterminedamount is completed, the carriage 1002 moves again along the guide shaft1003. By repeating the scanning and sheet feed by the carriage 1002 ofthe print head as described above, an image is formed on the printingmedium 1008. In a case where the metal ink is used, on a condition thatthe metal ink application region and the color ink application region donot overlap, whichever ink may be applied first. Further, in a casewhere the metal ink is applied onto 100% of the substrate, it isdesirable to apply the color ink after applying the white ink onto thecolor ink application region.

The printing medium that is used in the present embodiment may be anyprinting medium as long as it is compatible with printing by the printhead. Further, in the present embodiment, the printing method of theprinting apparatus 4 is assumed to be the ink jet method, but it mayalso be possible to adopt another printing method as the printing methodof the printing apparatus 4.

It is not necessarily required to create a color chart by printing. Forexample, it may also be possible to create a color chart by pasting acolor patch created by manually cutting out an already-existing colormaterial to a plate and the like. Further, it may also be possible tohandle a color chart that is displayed on a display device, such as adisplay.

Explanation is returned to FIG. 8. At S808, the image capturing controlunit 16 captures the color chart by using the image capturing apparatus5. Then, the image capturing control unit 16 acquires color signalvalues (R_(c), G_(c), B_(c)) corresponding to each of the plurality ofcolor patches in the captured image. For example, by averaging the colorsignal values in the region of each color patch in the captured image,the color signal values (R_(c), G_(c), B_(c)) as captured image data,each piece of which being for each of the plurality of color patches,are acquired. The color signal values (R_(c), G_(c), B_(c)) aredevice-dependent color signal values.

At S809, the measurement control unit 17 measures the color chart usingthe measuring device 8. By this step, color signal values (X, Y, Z) asmeasured data each piece of which being for each of the plurality ofcolor patches are acquired. The color signal values (X, Y, Z) aredevice-independent color signal values.

At S810, the color conversion parameter creation unit 18 creates colorconversion parameters representing a correspondence relationship betweenthe device-dependent color signal values (R_(c), G_(c), B_(c)) and thedevice-independent color signal values (X, Y, Z). Each of the colorsignal values (RGB values, specifically, (R_(c), G_(c), B_(c))) acquiredat S808 is converted into L*a*b* values (referred to as (L*₁, a*₁, b*₁))by using formula (3) to formula (7). Here, the color signal values ofthe reference white color are taken to be (X_(w), Y_(w), Z_(w)). TheL*a*b* values are device-independent color signal values and are valuesrepresented in a color space whose axes are taken to be L*, a*, and b*,respectively. Further, each of the device-independent color signalvalues (X, Y, Z) acquired at S809 is converted into L*a*b* values(referred to as (L*₂, a*₂, b*₂) by using formula (4) to formula (7).

$\begin{matrix}\left\lbrack {{Mathematical}\mspace{14mu}{formula}\mspace{14mu} 3} \right\rbrack & \; \\{\begin{pmatrix}X \\Y \\Z\end{pmatrix} = {\begin{pmatrix}{a\; 0} & {a\; 1} & {a\; 2} \\{a\; 3} & {a\; 4} & {a\; 5} \\{a\; 6} & {a\; 7} & {a\; 8}\end{pmatrix}\begin{pmatrix}R \\G \\B\end{pmatrix}}} & {{formula}\mspace{14mu}(3)} \\\left\lbrack {{Mathematical}\mspace{14mu}{formula}\mspace{14mu} 4} \right\rbrack & \; \\{{{{when}\mspace{14mu} X\text{/}{Xw}} > 0.00856}{{XRate} = \left( {X\text{/}{Xw}} \right)^{1\text{/}3}}{{{when}\mspace{14mu} X\text{/}{Xw}} \leq 0.00856}{{XRate} = {{7.787 \times \left( {X\text{/}{Xw}} \right)} + {16.0\text{/}116.0}}}} & {{formula}\mspace{14mu}(4)} \\\left\lbrack {{Mathematical}\mspace{14mu}{formula}\mspace{14mu} 5} \right\rbrack & \; \\{{{{when}\mspace{14mu} Y\text{/}{Yw}} > 0.00856}{{YRate} = \left( {Y\text{/}{Yw}} \right)^{1\text{/}3}}{{{when}\mspace{14mu} Y\text{/}{Yw}} \leq 0.00856}{{YRate} = {{7.787 \times \left( {Y\text{/}{Yw}} \right)} + {16.0\text{/}116.0}}}} & {{formula}\mspace{14mu}(5)} \\\left\lbrack {{Mathematical}\mspace{14mu}{formula}\mspace{14mu} 6} \right\rbrack & \; \\{{{{when}\mspace{14mu} Z\text{/}{Zw}} > 0.00856}{{ZRate} = \left( {Z\text{/}{Zw}} \right)^{1\text{/}3}}{{{when}\mspace{14mu} Z\text{/}{Zw}} \leq 0.00856}{{ZRate} = {{7.787 \times \left( {Z\text{/}{Zw}} \right)} + {16.0\text{/}116.0}}}} & {{formula}\mspace{14mu}(6)} \\\left\lbrack {{Mathematical}\mspace{14mu}{formula}\mspace{14mu} 7} \right\rbrack & \; \\{\left. \begin{matrix}{{L^{*} = {{116 \times {YRate}} - 16.0}}\mspace{34mu}} \\{a^{*} = {500 \times \left( {{XRate} - {YRate}} \right)}}\end{matrix} \right\}{b^{*} = {200 \times \left( {{YRate} - {ZRate}} \right)}}} & {{formula}\mspace{14mu}(7)}\end{matrix}$

Coefficients α0 to α8 of the matrix expressed in formula (3) are foundby the least squares method so that a color difference ΔE expressed informula (8) becomes near to 0. By finding the coefficients α0 to α8 ofthe matrix, formula (3) is obtained, which is a relation formularepresenting the correspondence relationship between thedevice-dependent color signal values (R_(c), G_(c), B_(c)) and thedevice-independent color signal values (X, Y, Z).

[Mathematical formula 8]

ΔE=(L* ₂ −L* ₁)²+(a* ₂ −a* ₁)²+(b* ₂ −b* ₁)²  formula (8)

The coefficients of the matrix in formula (3) are output as the colorconversion parameters. Each of the RGB values of the captured image ofthe inspection-target object and each of the reference RGB values areconverted into L*a*b* values by using formula (3) to formula (7). Afterthat, the color difference is calculated by a color differencecalculation formula, such as ΔE76 and ΔE94. By using this colordifference as the evaluation value, it is possible to perform colorinspection.

It may also be possible to create a lookup table (in the following,“LUT”) in place of finding the color conversion parameters. In the LUTcreation, first, on the display device 3, a color chart including atotal of 729 color patches is displayed, which are obtained by changingeach of R, G, and B of displayed color signal values (R_(D), G_(D),B_(D)) at intervals of 32 from (0, 0, 0) to (255, 255, 255). Next, bymeasuring each displayed color patch with the measuring device 8, thedevice-independent color signal values (X, Y, Z) are acquired. Due tothis, for each color patch, a correspondence table between the displayedcolor signal values (R_(D), G_(D), B_(D)) and the device-independentcolor signal values (X, Y, Z) is obtained. By converting thiscorrespondence table into an LUT format, an LUT_(D) is created.

Further, as the LUT for color conversion (referred to as colorconversion LUT), it may also be possible to create an LUT for convertingRGB values into RGB values, in addition to the LUT for converting RGBvalues into XYZ values. For example, by gamut mapping, a colorconversion LUT_(A) is created, which stores a correspondencerelationship between captured color signal values (R_(C), G_(C), B_(C))and the displayed color signal values (R_(D), G_(D), B_(D)). First, acolor conversion LUT_(C) is created, which stores a correspondencerelationship between the captured color signal values (R_(C), G_(C),B_(C)) and the device-independent color signal values (X, Y, Z). It ispossible to create the color conversion LUT_(C) by acquiring 729correspondence relationships by changing the captured color signalvalues (R_(C), G_(C), B_(C)) at intervals of 32 from (0, 0, 0) to (255,255, 255). Next, by using the color conversion LUT_(C) and the colorconversion LUT_(D), which are created, the captured color signal values(R_(C), G_(C), B_(C)) are converted into the displayed color signalvalues (R_(D), G_(D), B_(D)) by the publicly known gamut mapping. Bythis conversion, the correspondence relationship between the capturedcolor signal values (R_(C), G_(C), B_(C)) and the displayed color signalvalues (R_(D), G_(D), B_(D)) is obtained, and therefore, the colorconversion LUT_(A) can be created. It may also be possible to use thisLUT_(A) in place of the color conversion parameters.

In the present embodiment, as an example of the color chart, the colorchart 6 consisting of 12 (three in the vertical direction×four in thehorizontal direction) color patches is shown, but the number of colorpatches constituting a color chart is not limited to 12 and may be anyinteger. Further, as positional information on each color patch, thecoordinate information on the center point of the color patch is used,but it may also be possible to use coordinate information on a positionother than the center. For example, it may also be possible to usecoordinate information on an end, such as the upper-right end of a colorpatch.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, it is assumed that the image capturingapparatus 5 and the chart 6 squarely face each other, but they do nothave to squarely face each other. Further, the data relating to thereflected light intensity, which is created at S803, does notnecessarily have to be in the ranking format. For example, it may alsobe possible to divide the position within the chart 6 into the positionat which the reflected light intensity is high and the position at whichthe reflected light intensity is low by threshold value processing usinga predetermined threshold value, and lay out color patches having angledependence at the position at which the reflected light intensity islow.

Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 4, FIG. 5and the like, the color conversion parameter creation system has the oneillumination 7, but the color conversion parameter creation system mayhave a plurality of (two or more) illuminations. In that case, thereflected light intensity is the sum of the illumination component ofeach illumination.

<Effects of the Present Embodiment>

As described previously, according to the present embodiment, the layoutposition of the color patch is determined based on the reflected lightintensity in accordance with the position. Then, by laying out the colorpatch having angle dependence at the position at which the reflectedlight intensity is low, it is possible to lessen the influence ofspecular reflection and create highly accurate color conversionparameters.

Second Embodiment

In the first embodiment, only one color patch having angle dependence islaid out within the color chart for one kind. In contrast to this, inthe present embodiment, one or more color patches having angledependence are laid out for one kind. The hardware configuration of theinformation processing apparatus 1 and the information processingapparatus 2 in the present embodiment is the same as that in the firstembodiment, and therefore, explanation is omitted. In the following,portions different between the present embodiment and the firstembodiment are explained mainly. Further, explanation is given byattaching the same symbol to the same configuration as that of the firstembodiment.

<Function Configuration of Information Processing Apparatus, GUI>

The display control unit 12 displays a GUI on, for example, the displaydevice 3 and receives user instructions that are input via the inputdevice 110. In the present embodiment, as an example, a GUI 1110 shownin FIG. 11 is used. As shown in FIG. 11, the GUI 1100 has text boxesindicated by the symbols 601, 602, 603, 605, and symbol 1101, buttonsindicated by the symbols 604 and 606, and selection lists indicated bysymbols 1102 and 1103.

A user inputs the path to a file in the color patch table describinginformation on color patches to the text box 603. This file in the colorpatch table is stored in advance in the HDD 112 and the like. The colorpatch table is, for example a table as shown in FIG. 12. In the fifthcolumn of this table, the number of layouts indicating how manycorresponding color patches are laid out is described. This number oflayouts may be described in advance. In a case where the number oflayouts is not described in the fifth column, it is determined byprocessing, to be described later, during the processing.

<Processing Performed by Information Processing Apparatus>

FIG. 13 to FIG. 15 are each a flowchart showing processing performed bythe information processing apparatus 1 and the information processingapparatus 2.

At S1301, the display control unit 12 receives a user input relating tothe setting of a color chart. Here, the state transition in a case wherethe display control unit 12 uses the GUI shown in FIG. 11 is explainedwith reference to FIG. 16.

Each of the symbols 901 to 904 in FIG. 16 indicates one state and eachof the symbols 601 to 606, 1101 to 1103 indicates an input by theoperation element shown in FIG. 11. In “During input reception” 901, aninput by a use is received. In a case where the display control unit 12receives an input via the text box or the selection list, the transitionis self-transition from “During input reception” 901 to “During inputreception” 901 as shown in FIG. 16.

A user selects whether to make uniform or non-uniform the number ofcolor patches having angle dependence via the selection list 1102. Here,in a case where uniformity is selected, for example, the numbers ofcolor patches having angle dependence for each kind of color patch areall set to two or the like, and in this manner, the number of colorpatches for each kind of color patch is made the same. The user inputsthe number made uniform to the text box 1101. Further, the user selectswhether or not to perform exceptional processing of specular reflectionvia the selection list 1103. Here, the exceptional processing ofspecular reflection is specific processing that is performed in a casewhere it is estimated that specular reflection will occur at theposition at which the color patch is laid out.

At S1302, the determination unit 14 determines the number of layouts ofthe color patch. S1302 is explained in detail by using FIG. 14.

First, at S1401, the determination unit 14 initializes the number oflayouts of the color patch, that is, sets the number of layouts to 1 foreach kind of color patch.

Next, at S1402, the determination unit 14 determines whether “Uniform”is selected via the selection list 1102 at S1301. In a case where thedetermination results at this step are affirmative, the processingadvances to S1403. On the other hand, in a case where the determinationresults at this step are negative (that is, “Non-uniform” is selected bya user via the selection list 1102), the processing advances to S1404.

At S1403, the determination unit 14 updates the number of layouts of thecolor patch corresponding to each kind of color patch having angledependence. For example, the determination unit 14 sets the number oflayouts of the color patch to the value that is input to the text box1101 for each kind of color patch having angle dependence.

At S1404, the determination unit 14 selects one kind of color patchhaving angle dependence from the color patch table. As will be describedlater, the selection processing at this step is performed repeatedly andat the time of the repetitive selection of one kind of color patch, theselection is performed in order from the color patch whose angle in thevicinity of specular reflection is the largest.

At S1405, the determination unit 14 adds 1 to the current value of thenumber of layouts corresponding to the kind of color patch selected atimmediately previous S404.

At S1406, the determination unit 14 determines whether the total of thenumber of layouts determined so far for each kind of color patchcoincides with the number of frames of the color chart. In a case wherethe determination results at this step are affirmative, the series ofprocessing is terminated. On the other hand, in a case where thedetermination results at this step are negative, the processing returnsto S1404.

The number of layouts for each kind of color patch, which is determinedby the processing in FIG. 14, is stored by, for example, updating thefifth column in the color patch table (see FIG. 12) stored in the HDD112, and read and used as needed in the subsequent processing.

Explanation is returned to FIG. 13. After the determination processingof the number of layouts of the color patch, at S804, the determinationunit 14 selects one kind of color patch from the color patch table. Thecolor patch of the kind selected at this step is taken to be the colorpatch X.

At S1303, the determination unit 14 lays out the color patch X. S1303 isexplained in detail using FIG. 15.

First, at S1501, the determination unit 14 initializes a variable(referred to as loop variable i) indicating the number of times of loop,that is, sets the loop variable i to 0.

At S1502, the determination unit 14 lays out the color patch X withinthe color chart. To explain specifically, in a case where the loopvariable i is 0, the determination unit 14 lays out the color patch X inthe frame at the position at which the reflected light intensity is thelowest. On the other hand, in a case where the loop variable is not 0,the determination unit 14 lays out the color patch X in the frame at theposition whose distance from the already-laid-out color patch X is thelongest (position the most distant from the already-laid-out color patchX). It may also be possible to first classify the frames of the colorchart into frames whose reflected light intensity is high and frameswhose reflected light intensity is low by the threshold value processingand then lay out the color patch X in the frame whose distance from thealready-laid-out color patch X is the longest among the frames whosereflected light intensity has been determined to be low. Further, here,the aspect in which the two color patches of the same kind are laid outis described, but it may also be possible to lay out three or more colorpatches of the same kind. In this case, an aspect is considered in whichat the time of laying out the nth color patch, the distances from thepositions of the first to the (n−1)th already-laid-out color patches arecalculated and the nth color patch is laid out in the frame at theposition whose distance is the minimum among all the distances.

At S1503, the determination unit 14 determines whether the setting valuerelating to the exceptional processing of specular reflection is On,that is, whether “On” is selected by a user via the selection list 1103.In a case where the determination results at this step are affirmative,the processing advances to S1504. On the other hand, in a case where thedetermination results at this step are negative (that is, in a casewhere “Off” is selected by a user via the selection list 1103), theprocessing advances to S1507.

At S1504, the determination unit 14 estimates whether specularreflection occurs. For example, from cos θi that is calculated byformula (2), θ is found. In a case where θ is in the range of the anglein the vicinity of specular reflection of the color patch X described inthe color patch table, it is estimated that specular reflection willoccur.

At S1505, the determination unit 14 determines whether specularreflection occurs based on the estimation results at S1504. In a casewhere the determination results at this step are affirmative, theprocessing advances to S1506. On the other hand, in a case where thedetermination results at this step are negative (that is in a case whereit is estimated that specular reflection will not occur), the processingadvances to S1507.

At S1506, the determination unit 14 performs the exceptional processingfor increasing the number of layouts of the color patch X. For example,it may also be possible for the determination unit 14 to notify a userthat specular reflection will occur and prompt a user to increase thenumber of layouts of the color patch or change the geometricalcondition. Further, it may also be possible for the determination unit14 to display a warning to the effect that specular reflection willoccur on the display device 3.

At S1507, the determination unit 14 determines whether the value of theloop variable i is larger than or equal to a value obtained bysubtracting 1 from the number of layouts corresponding to the colorpatch X. In a case where the determination results at this step areaffirmative, the series of processing is terminated. On the other hand,in a case where the determination results at this step are negative, theprocessing advances to S1508.

At S1508, the determination unit 14 increments (adds 1 to) the currentvalue of the loop variable i. After this step, the processing advancesto S1502.

<Effects of the Present Embodiment>

As described previously, according to the present embodiment, the numberof layouts of the color patch for each kind is determined and the colorpatches are laid out by taking into consideration the reflected lightintensity that is different at different positions within the colorchart. Due to this, a plurality of color patches having angle dependenceis laid out at the position at which the reflected light intensity islow, and as a result, it is possible to lessen the influence of specularreflection and create highly accurate color conversion parameters.

Third Embodiment

In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the layout of thecolor patches is found based on the reflected light intensity at theposition within the color chart. In contrast to this, in the presentembodiment, the number of layouts of the color patch is determined basedon the illumination condition. The hardware configuration of theinformation processing apparatus 1 and the information processing 2 inthe present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, andtherefore, explanation thereof is omitted. In the following, portionsdifferent between the present embodiment and the first embodiment areexplained mainly. Further, explanation is given by attaching the samesymbol to the same configuration as that of the first embodiment.

<Processing Performed by Information Processing Apparatus>

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing processing performed by the informationprocessing apparatus 1 and the information processing apparatus 2.

At S1701, the acquisition unit 11 acquires information on theillumination distribution as the illumination condition. Based on theinformation on the illumination distribution acquired at this step, thenumber of layouts of the color patch is determined. Here, it is assumedthat, for example, a plurality of the illuminations 7 exists and thenumber of the illuminations 7 is acquired.

At S1702, the number of layouts of the color patch is determined.Specifically, the number of layouts corresponding to each kind of colorpatch having angle dependence is made the same as the number of theilluminations 7 acquired at S1701. It is not necessarily required tomake the number of layouts corresponding to the kind of color patchhaving angle dependence the same as the number of the illuminations 7and it may also be possible to increase the number of layouts of thecolor patch having angle dependence as the number of illuminationsincreases.

At S1703, the determination unit 14 lays out the color patch X. Thelayout processing at this step is the same as that at S1303, andtherefore, explanation thereof is omitted here.

In the present embodiment, the number of layouts of the color patchhaving angle dependence is determined based on the number of theilluminations 7, but for example, it may also be possible to determinethe number of layouts in accordance with the area of the direct light ofthe illumination at the position of the color chart.

For example, a mirror whose size is the same as that of the color chartis placed at the position at which the color chart is set and the placedmirror is captured by the image capturing apparatus 5 and the area ofthe region in which total reflection occurs (or area of the region inwhich reflected light intensity is higher than or equal to apredetermined threshold value) is checked. The ratio of the area to thearea of the entire mirror is taken to be P. At this time, specularreflection occurs in the ratio P of the color patches that are laid out.In order to lessen the influence, it may also be possible to determinethe number of layouts of the patch in accordance with a formula below sothat the color patches having angle dependence occupy the region whosearea is larger than the ratio P.

[Mathematical formula 9]

number of layouts of color patch having angle dependence in colorchart=number of color patches that can be laid out in colorchart×P×2  formula (9)

In this specification, laying out color patches so that formula (9)holds is described as “laying out two color patches in the ratio P”. Atthis time, it may also be possible to make determination so that twocolor patches are laid out in order from the color patch whose angle inthe vicinity of specular reflection is the largest.

Further, it may also be possible set the image capturing apparatus atthe position of the color chart and determine the number of layouts ofthe color patch based on the captured image by the set image capturingapparatus. For example, it may also be possible to find the ratio P ofthe pixels that capture illumination in the captured image in accordancewith formula (10) and lay out two color patches in the found ratio P.

[Mathematical formula 10]

P=number of pixels that captures illumination in captured image/numberof pixels in entire captured image  formula (10)

Further, it may also be possible to determine the number of layouts ofthe color patch based on the area occupied by the illumination, which isviewed from the position of the color chart. A region on a unit spherewith the color chart being taken as a center is considered.Specifically, a first region in which there is an illumination on theextension line of a line connecting the center of the color chart and apoint on the unit sphere and a second region in which there is noillumination are considered and the number of layouts of the color patchis determined based on the ratio of the first region. Here, the lightbehind the color chart is not taken into consideration, and therefore,only the unit hemisphere on the side in the direction of the front ofthe color chart is considered. In a case where the ratio of the firstregion in this unit hemisphere is P, the number of layouts of the colorpatch is determined so that two color patches are laid out in the ratioP.

Further, it is not necessarily required to measure the illuminationdistribution and it may also be possible for a user to manually inputthe ratio P. For example, it may also be possible to provide a GUI withwhich the ratio P is input between 0 and 1 and lay out two color patchesin the ratio P input by a user. Further, it is not necessarily requiredto use the ratio and it may also be possible to use an input indicatingwhether the number of illuminations is small or a large, or an inputindicating the area occupied by the illumination.

Further, in a case where the ratio P described previously is obtained,it is not necessarily required to lay out two color patches in the ratioP and it may also be possible to reduce the number of color patches thatare laid out in twos so that the color patches are included in the rangeof the set number of frames. Furthermore, it may also be possible to layout two color patches in a ratio higher than the ratio P describedpreviously. Still furthermore, it may also be possible to lay out threeor more color patches of the same kind (that is, the same color).

In a case where the number of frames of the color patch runs short inthe set color chart at the time of changing the number of layouts, itmay also be possible to automatically change the number of frames sothat the number of frames on the color chart is sufficient.

<Effects of the Present Embodiment>

As described previously, according to the present embodiment, the numberof layouts of the color patch having angle dependence and the layoutposition are determined based on the illumination condition. By layingout a plurality of color patches having angle dependence, it is possibleto lessen the influence of specular reflection and create highlyaccurate color conversion parameters.

Other Embodiments

It may also be possible to perform the processing by using a trainedmodel for which machine learning has been performed in place of theestimation unit 13, the determination unit 14 and the like of eachprocessing unit described above. In that case, for example, a pluralityof combinations of input data to the processing unit and output data isprepared as learning data and knowledge is acquired therefrom by machinelearning and a trained model is generated, which outputs output data forinput data as results based on the acquired knowledge. It is possible toconfigure a trained model by, for example, a neural network model. Then,the trained model performs the processing of the processing unitdescribed previously by operating in cooperation with the CPU or the GPUor the like as a program for performing processing equivalent to that ofthe processing unit described previously. It may also be possible toupdate the above-described trained model as needed after predeterminedprocessing.

Further, it may also be possible to appropriately combine theembodiments described previously.

Embodiment(s) of the present invention can also be realized by acomputer of a system or apparatus that reads out and executes computerexecutable instructions (e.g., one or more programs) recorded on astorage medium (which may also be referred to more fully as a‘non-transitory computer-readable storage medium’) to perform thefunctions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s) and/orthat includes one or more circuits (e.g., application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC)) for performing the functions of one or moreof the above-described embodiment(s), and by a method performed by thecomputer of the system or apparatus by, for example, reading out andexecuting the computer executable instructions from the storage mediumto perform the functions of one or more of the above-describedembodiment(s) and/or controlling the one or more circuits to perform thefunctions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s). Thecomputer may comprise one or more processors (e.g., central processingunit (CPU), micro processing unit (MPU)) and may include a network ofseparate computers or separate processors to read out and execute thecomputer executable instructions. The computer executable instructionsmay be provided to the computer, for example, from a network or thestorage medium. The storage medium may include, for example, one or moreof a hard disk, a random-access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM),a storage of distributed computing systems, an optical disk (such as acompact disc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), or Blu-ray Disc (BD)™),a flash memory device, a memory card, and the like.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, in a case where acolor patch having angle dependence is used, it is made possible tocreate color conversion parameters for performing highly accurateconversion.

While the present invention has been described with reference toexemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of thefollowing claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as toencompass all such modifications and equivalent structures andfunctions.

This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No.2020-162344, filed Sep. 28, 2020 and No. 2021-070471, filed Apr. 19,2021, which are hereby incorporated by reference wherein in theirsentirety.

What is claimed is:
 1. An information processing apparatus comprising:an acquisition unit configured to acquire information relating to ageometrical condition in a case where a color chart irradiated withlight is captured; and a determination unit configured to determine aposition at which each of a plurality of color patches is laid out inthe color chart based on the geometrical condition.
 2. The informationprocessing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the geometricalcondition, a positional relationship between an image capturingapparatus, a light source, and the color chart is included.
 3. Theinformation processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in theplurality of color patches laid out in the color chart, a color patchhaving angle dependence and a color patch not having angle dependenceare included and the color patch having angle dependence is a colorpatch whose ratio of intensity in a specular reflection direction tointensity in a diffuse reflection direction is higher than that of thecolor patch not having angle dependence.
 4. The information processingapparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the plurality of colorpatches laid out in the color chart, a metallic color patch is included.5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, whereinreflected light intensity by direct light of a light source differsdepending on a position within the color chart.
 6. The informationprocessing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the color chart has aplurality of frames in each of which one color patch is laid out.
 7. Theinformation processing apparatus according to claim 6, furthercomprising: a calculation unit configured to calculate, for each frameof the plurality of frames, intensity of light of a light source, whichenters a position of a center point of each of the frames and which isreflected toward a direction of an image capturing apparatus, by usingcoordinate information on the center point, which is acquired asinformation relating to the geometrical condition, and intensity ofdirect light of a light source.
 8. The information processing apparatusaccording to claim 7, further comprising: a creation unit configured tocreate a reflected light intensity ranking indicating a ranking ofreflected light intensity corresponding to each of the plurality offrames of the color chart based on intensity calculated by thecalculation unit.
 9. The information processing apparatus according toclaim 8, wherein the determination unit: selects one kind of color patchfrom the plurality of color patches; and determines a layout position ofthe selected one kind of color patch by using the reflected lightintensity ranking.
 10. The information processing apparatus according toclaim 9, wherein the determination unit: selects the one kind of colorpatch in order from one whose angle in the vicinity of specularreflection is the widest; and allocates, as a frame in which theselected one kind of color patch is laid out, a frame in order from onewhose reflected light intensity in the reflected light intensity rankingis the lowest.
 11. The information processing apparatus according toclaim 10, wherein in the color chart, a color patch having angledependence is laid out in a frame whose reflected light intensity isrelatively low and a color patch not having angle dependence is laid outin a frame whose reflected light intensity is relatively high.
 12. Theinformation processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in theplurality of color patches, two or more color patches of the same colorare included and the determination unit determines layout positions ofthe two or more color patches of the same color.
 13. The informationprocessing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein in a case where thenumber of the two or more color patches of the same color is two, thedetermination unit determines layout positions of the color patches ofthe same color so that a distance between the color patches of the samecolor becomes large.
 14. The information processing apparatus accordingto claim 12, wherein the number of layouts of the two or more colorpatches of the same color in the color chart is determined based on aratio of an area of a region in which reflected light intensity in aregion in the color chart is higher than or equal to a predeterminedthreshold value.
 15. The information processing apparatus according toclaim 12, wherein the number of layouts of the two or more color patchesof the same color in the color chart is determined based on a capturedimage by an image capturing apparatus that is set at a position of thecolor chart.
 16. The information processing apparatus according to claim1, wherein in the geometrical condition, an illumination distribution ofa light source is included.
 17. The information processing apparatusaccording to claim 16, further comprising: a determination unitconfigured to determine the number of layouts corresponding to each kindof color patch included in the plurality of color patches usinginformation on the illumination distribution.
 18. The informationprocessing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a displaycontrol unit configured to cause a display unit to display a graphicaluser interface, wherein the graphical user interface has: a first textbox for inputting the number of frames of the color chart; a second textbox for inputting a path to a color patch table; and a third text boxfor inputting the number of color patches having angle dependence. 19.An information processing method comprising: a step of acquiringinformation relating to a geometrical condition in a case where a colorchart irradiated with light is captured; and a step of determining aposition at which each of a plurality of color patches is laid out inthe color chart based on the geometrical condition.
 20. A non-transitorycomputer readable storage medium storing a program for causing acomputer to perform an information processing method comprising: a stepof acquiring information relating to a geometrical condition in a casewhere a color chart irradiated with light is captured; and a step ofdetermining a position at which each of a plurality of color patches islaid out in the color chart based on the geometrical condition.